Post Bruce Willis Controversy

Earlier in October, there were numerous reports that veteran actor Bruce Willis had sold the rights to his face to deepfake company Deepcake.These rumors have been debunked by the actor’s official spokesperson, but the conversation about the technology continues. May be positive for the industry in the future and negative for stakeholders?

Willis announced her retirement from acting in March after being diagnosed with the disease a language disorder known as aphasiaThere were reports that major news outlets including the Daily Mail and The Telegraph sold rights in his presence. It’s not true, but it has captured people’s imaginations about what’s possible with the use of technology.

Deepfakes use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technology to render realistic videos. This technology has been used to imitate celebrities and other public figures with amazing accuracy. Willis previously worked with Deepcake on the Deepfake project, an advertisement for Russian telecommunications company Megafon.

The ad will be filmed and aired in 2021, with the Russian actor using deepfake technology to superimpose Willis’ face.

Through Deepcake, the production had to collect a number of materials from Willis and agree to use his likeness in advertising.

In a statement from Deepcake, they shed more light on the controversy surrounding the report.

“The phrasing about rights is wrong… Bruce could not sell the rights to anyone. They are his by default.”

The quote implies that Willis couldn’t sell his rights even if he wanted to, but his participation in Russian advertising implies otherwise. I’m pretty sure it can be done on a project by project basis.

Anyone with the necessary materials to replicate Willis so accurately can deepfake it with the necessary archives. For those in the public eye, most of these materials are already in the public domain.

Some organizations have announced that technology will affect the lives of actors and even cause them to shrink from their voices and faces.

Deepfake technology was used on recently retired Darth Vader actor James Earl Jones. His voice as Vader could continue and was recently used in Disney’s Obi-Wan his Kenobi series through a company called Respeecher. The voices were made to sound younger and more relevant to the timeline the show is set in.

The growth of technology calls into question the point of rights. Can properties representing deceased celebrities position themselves for individuals to use deepfake technology to carry on their legacy? Is it ethical to do so? Music from deceased musicians is still being released. Michael Jackson, Pop Smoke and Tupac are prominent examples. They may have recorded vocals, but does that mean they wanted to release the track? It may brew.

Willis’ situation is much more unique because he can decide which projects his name and likeness are loaned to. possible?

The continued development of technology will certainly be something to watch, as there is another view that characters can live on no matter what happens to the actors. Scheduling conflicts could be a thing of the past there is. The passing of Chadwick Boseman is a classic example. Obviously, no one was trying to replace Boseman, but it was vital that the Black Panther character continued, and Disney decided to continue the story after T’Challa’s death.

Speaking to Empire, Marvel head Kevin Feige said of the issue, “It felt too early to recast.”

“Stan Lee always said that Marvel represents the world outside your window, and it is as extraordinary and fantastical as our characters and stories are, and as much as we are. The world is still processing the loss of Chad, and Ryan has infused that into the story.”

While there is much to be learned about ethics and processes, the potential for large-scale disruption using deepfake technology is certainly there.